UK Hockey Brings Hot Poster, Offense in Win

Yeah, she's into me. Hockey season is in full swing, and the Cool Cats returned to home ice to face Indiana University of Pennsylvania (wait...what?) in the third home series of the semester. Attendance wasn't quite at the level that it reached for the Louisville game last weekend, but fans still packed the stands to watch UK Hockey take on IUP. Looking around the stands, I noticed that many students opted to take the opportunity on Family Weekend to invite mom and dad out to the game (I wouldn't do it, but props to them), but the atmosphere inside Lexington Ice Center was rowdy as ever, even with Aunt Norma and grandma in town. Last night marked the program's poster release, a much-anticipated event that unites fans of all ages. And the decision to release the poster (pictured above) on family weekend? Well played, Cool Cats. Well played. The poster is a long-standing tradition of UK Hockey, and while the line of guys waiting shamelessly in line for an autograph from Kate Rorrer, this season's poster model, did not quite equal the number of tents packed outside of Memorial Coliseum, a solid number turned out while disgruntled dates sat impatiently nearby. Sorry, girls, but this is important business. Congrats to Kate, who joins the likes of Laura Bell Bundy and Ashley Judd as UK Hockey poster model alumni. Oh, and there was a pretty good game, too. The Cats returned home after suffering the first loss to Louisville in program history (4-2 at U of L last Saturday night), needing a big win to get things back on track. IUP proved to be a pretty solid club, showing early on that they planned to be aggressive; every hit was a nasty one and it didn't take long for things to get chippy between the two teams. IUP scored first early on in the first period, and the game was suspended shortly for broken glass during the celebration. IUP built upon its lead in the second period, putting another one in the net after UK goalie Aaron Tenefelde lost sight of the puck and got knocked to the ice. The crowd was restless, but the roof was ready to blow off the place when the Cats finally found the back of the net. Hunter McFadden found a way to break through the brick wall that was IUP keep Corey Chapin, who, despite attending a university that no one cares about, is tremendously talented in goal. One student disagrees. Asked after the game about Chapin's performance, a student we'll refer to only as Taylor informed me that "Chapin is a (expletive) and his parents hate him." I won't pretend to know the kid's family situation, but he appeared impressive on the ice. The fun continued for UK after McFadden got the Cats on the board. Ryan Thomas tied the game near the end of the second period, and the ice center was rocking. Things would only get better for UK Hockey, as McFadden used his second goal of the night to net the winner and give the Cats a comeback victory. Kate Rorrer was happy about it, and that means we're all happy about it. The Cats return to the ice tonight to take on IUP in the second and final game of the series. Puck drops at MIDNIGHT. @AdamSchiltKSR